Starting apparatus for internal combustion engines



Sept. 8, 1936. c. s. BROWN v 2,053,321

STARTING APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL coMUsTIoN ENGINES Filed Jan. 1o, 1954 2 sheets-sheet 1 ATTORNEYS.

sept. 8, 1936. l C, s BROWN 2,053,321

STARTING APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINES Filed Jan. l0, 1934 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I VENTOR. BY

ATTORNEYS Patented ISept. 8, 1936 Unire stares 'argl STARTING APPARATUS FOR INTERNAL This invention relates to starting apparatus for internal combustion engines, particularly multi-cylinder four cycle engines, and has for its object starting apparatusby which the engine is started by apparatus which forms, compresses and builds up to ignition point compression and res a charge of explosive mixture in the cylinder or cylinders in which both of the regular intake and exhaust valves are closed and in which the piston is stopped somewhere on its out or working stroke, regardless of what position the piston has assumed, whether at the beginning, intermediate or toward the end of its working stroke. The engine is kept running in this manner, until l5 it becomes self-operative through the regular operation of the charge coming in through the regular intake valves.

The invention further has for its object a method of starting a multi-cylinder internal zo combustion engine by forcing a charge into, and compressing' it in, the. cylinder or cylinders in which the regular exhaust and intake valves are closed, up to the ignition point compression of the charge regardless of the position of the piston i 35 the Views.

g Figure l is a diagrammatic view of a-six cylinder internal combustion engine embodying the invention, the engine being shown in. plan view partly in section and certain parts being omitted. 4u Figure 2 is an enlarged vertical, sectional view through one of the cylinders and the additional valve mechanism forming part of this invention, illustrating one adaptation to internal combustion engines.

45 Figure 3 is a fragmentary view illustrating a slightly different arrangement of the compresser relative to the carburetor.

This starting mechanism for internal combustion engines comprises means for forming and 50 compressing an explosive mixture in the cylinder or cylinders of the enginein which both the intake and exhaust valves are closed and the piston of which has stopped somewhere in its working stroke when the engine stopped, and means for 55 ring the charge when it reaches an ignition point compression'in any position of the piston. in the working stroke. The method oi starting multi-cylinder internal combustion engines con sistsA in forming and forcing an explosive mixI ture into the cylinder or cylinders in which both. 5 the intake and exhaust valves are closed when the engine stopped, building up the compression in that cylinder or cylinders to the firing point compression and ring the charge, regardless of the position in the working stroke occupied by 10 the piston in that cylinder or cylinders.

As is well known, an' explosive mixture must be compressed to a predetermined compression .bem fore a spark will ignite it, and in the interest of brevity, the term ring point compression or ignition point compression" is used to identify the amount of compression required before the explosive mixture will ignite.

In the ordinary operation of internal combustion engines, this compression point is reached when the piston is at or near the position assumed by the piston when at the end of its in compression stroke. Normally a partially com pressed charge or a charge taken in the regular way will not ignite regularly, at least not readily g5 enough to count on it as a starting means.

By this invention, when the engine is stopped, the compression of an explosive mixture is buiit up in the cylinder or cylinders in which the pis tons are anywhere below top dead center on their 3o out working I strokes, whenv the engine is stopped, and then firing the compressed charge and hence starting the engine. In that cylinder or cylinders obviously, both the regular in take and exhaust valves will be closed so that the cylinder or cylinders receive a compressed charge. A cylinder in which the piston is one-half way downwhen the engine is stopped will require a larger compressed charge thand the' cylinder where the piston stops one-quarter of the way 4o down. In'any case,'the charge will have to be compressed to anignition point, regardless of whether. the piston is one-quarter, one-half or nine-tenths of the way down in the cylinder.

The invention is here illustrated as embodied in a six cylinder engine, although it may be embodied in a four cylinder engine, but as the four cylinder engine'is liable to stop on a dead center,- it is preferable to use an engine of more than four cylinders.

The 'reference numeral i designates an internal combustion engine, here shown asv having six cylinders. The engine has the usual pistons. crank shaft, etc. Each cylinder has the usual intake and exhaust valves 2, 3, operated by cam shaft 4, and intake and exhaust manifold and also the usual carburetor and ignition system including a spark plug 5 for each cylinder. After being started, the engine operates inthe same manner as any four cycle engine, and'lthis invention relates to the starting without the use of an electric lmotor for rotatingA the engine crank shaft but by the forming and compressing and igniting of a charge in the cylinder or cylinders inwhich both valves are closed When/the engine stops and the piston is on the working stroke. I i

In the illustrated embodiment of theinvention, -the enginev is provided with an additional intake valve, here illustrated as a rotary valve II suitably mounted in a casing I2 provided along one side of the cylinder block, the casing having a port I3 opening into a passage I4 which opens into the cylinder or compression chamber' I5 formed in the cylinder head I 6 in any well known manner. The-rotary valve Il is formed hollow and with outlet ports I1, one for each cylinder, the ports I1 being designed to come into and out of registry with the ports I3. 'I'he rotary valve II is actuated to time and distribute lany charge that may be forced therethrough to the engine cylinder, and as here shown, it is actuatedand timed from the cam-shaft 4, as through a chain I8 running over gears I9 and 20 on the cam shaft 4 and the rotary valve II or a shaft extension 2I thereof. The rotary valve is mounted in suitable anti-friction bearings v22. in the housing I2. c

'I'he means for forming and compressing the. charge in the cylinder or cylinders in which the valves are closed when the engine is stopped,

comprises an air compressor 23 of any suitable construction and an electric motor 24 connected tothe compressor 23 to actuate the same, anA outlet conduit 25 leading from the compressor through the carbureter and communicating at -26`with one end of the hollow rotary valve Il.

Thesection of the conduit leading from the compressor communicates with the air intake of the carburetor and the other section of the conduit, that is, the section leading to the rotary valve, communicates with the vapor outlet of the carburetor.

The electric motor is controlled by a switch 34-42 operable at the will of the operator.

The charge forced into the cylinder or cylinders by the compressor is ired by a spark plug or plugs 28 in an ignition system controlled by the' switch which controls the electric motor and" hence is synchronized with the charge forming means.

The starting ignitionsystem includes a circuit having'a vibratorvcoil therein of the type in which a spark is produced during each vibration and the output of the vibratorv coil is distributed .to the additional spark plugs 28 forthe proper cylinders' throu h a suitable distributor 29.

'I'he reference numeral 30 `designates the vibrator coil which may be of any suitable and well known construction.

The reference numeral d3| designates a,battery or source of current, one side of which is grounded at 32 and the other side of which is connected' by a conductor 33 to a terminal 34. 'I'he primary coil of the vibrator is connected to the battery through a conductor 35 having a terminal 36 at one end and connected at its other end to the primary coil, the primary coil being grounded at 3l. The secondary coil is connected by a wire 38 to the distributor 29 and the con- .tacts of the distributor 29, in this instance being six in number, areconnected to spark plugsV 28 of theA various cylinders throughI conductors as 39.' The distributor 29 may be of any suitable construction, except that the contacts of the distributor areV comparatively wide so that the spark plug connected lto any contact with which the distributor arm is engaged will-spark continuously', when the piston dis at any point on its working stroke in the cylinder.

Thus, when this starting ignitioncircuit is closed, the sparking will continue and when the compressor has built up the compression of the explosive mixture to the ignition point, the spark plug 28 will fire and a iiame wave will be propagated through' the compressed charge and start the engine regardless of the point or position of the piston. The electric motor 24 is grounded at 40 and has its starting circuit connected, through a wire 4I having a suitable switch 42 therein, this switch being normally open and when closed engaging the contacts 34 and 36 so that when it closes the motor circuit, it also closes the ignition circuit -through the vibrator 30 or the primary coil thereof. f

Means are provided to relieve the charge forming means or carburetor from the force of the explosion in the cylinder, and this means is preferably located so as to also relieve the valve mechanism including the rotary valve' 'II from they force of the explosion and, as here illustrated, `comprises a check valve, as the check valve 50, located in'each passage I4 between the rotary valve and the engine cylinder compression chamber, the valve 50 being openedby the pressure of the charge created by the air compressor 23 against the action of a light returning spring 5|; v

A check valve 52 may be located in the conduit 53 to protect the carburetofor compressor against T-shaped compression chamber with the regularl intake and exhaust valves 2, 3 seatingat one side of thecylinder in the bottom wall of the compression chamber and the check valve 50 seating at the other side of the cylinder also on the bottom wall of the compression chamber.

In operation, when the engine stops at least one of the cylinders of a' six cylinder engine will stop with its piston somewhere on its working stroke. Also, when the engine stops. one or more of the ports Il of the rotary lvalve II will be invalinement with the port I3 of the cylinder'or cylinders in which -both the intake and exhaust valves 2, 3, respectively, are closed and the piston is on its working stroke.' To again start the engine, the switch 42 is closed, thus causing the motor V24 to actuate the compressor 23l and also toclose cylinder or cylinders in which the regular intake and exhaust valves are closed. When the'pressure has been built-up in the cylinder, by the action of the compressor 23, to the point of ignition by compression, the spark at the spark plug 28 will propagate and ignite the charge causing the engine to start. The operator keeps the switch 42 closed until the engine runs regularly,.-

that is, by drawing in its charge through the regular intake valve ,2.

By'this starting mechanism, an engine. can be started under partial load, so that the driving clutch would not have to be released during starting, as is now necessary in many internal combustible engines. Under'light or even normal loads, this engine could be made to operate with the combined use of the starting switch and controlling throttle valve with much the same ilexibility as a steam engine is controlled by its throttle.

What I claim is: p

The combination with a'multi-cylinder internal combustion engine having the usual cylinders, pistons, crank-shaft and the regular intake and exhaust valves and valve mechanism, of mecha- -nism including additional intake valve means,k

connections between the crank-shaft of theengine and the additional valve means to actuate and time the same, said valve means being operable to communicate 'with any o'ne of the cylinders in which both regular valves are closed and the pistonv therein anywhere on its working stroke, means forforming and compressing an ignitable charge through the additional valve means into the cylinder in which both valves the electric circuit through the motor, an ignitable charge is forced throughthe additional valve CHARLES S. BROWN. 

